Electoral history of James Buchanan
Elections featuring President of the US
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This is the electoral history of James Buchanan. He was the 15th president of the United States (1856-1860); 17th United States Secretary of State; United States Minister to the United Kingdom and Russia; U.S. representative from Pennsylvania's third (1821-1823) and fourth congressional district (1823-1831); and U.S. senator from Pennsylvania (1834-1845).

United States House of Representatives elections
1820
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federalist | James Buchanan | 7,809 | 27.9 | |
| Federalist | John Phillips | 7,709 | 27.5 | |
| Democratic-Republican | Jacob Hibshman | 6,396 | 22.8 | |
| Democratic-Republican | James M. Wallace | 6,100 | 21.8 | |
1822
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonian | James Buchanan | 7,021 | 18.6 | |
| Jacksonian | Isaac Wayne | 6,870 | 18.2 | |
| Jacksonian | Samuel Edwards | 6,839 | 18.1 | |
| Democratic-Republican | William Darlington | 5,723 | 15.2 | |
| Democratic-Republican | William Anderson | 5,646 | 15.0 | |
| Democratic-Republican | Jacob Hibshman | 5,639 | 14.9 | |
1824
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonian | James Buchanan | 6,968 | 18.0 | |
| Jacksonian | Samuel Edwards | 6,802 | 17.5 | |
| Anti-Jacksonian | Charles Miner | 6,756 | 17.4 | |
| Democratic-Republican | Isaac D. Barnard | 6,129 | 15.8 | |
| Democratic-Republican | William Anderson | 6,098 | 15.7 | |
| Democratic-Republican | Samuel Houston | 6,028 | 15.5 | |
1826
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonian | James Buchanan | 5,950 | 18.5 | |
| Anti-Jacksonian | Samuel Anderson | 5,732 | 17.8 | |
| Anti-Jacksonian | Charles Miner | 5,670 | 17.6 | |
| Jacksonian | Joshua Evans Jr. | 4,983 | 15.5 | |
| Jacksonian | John McCamant | 4,933 | 15.3 | |
| Jacksonian | George Gray Leiper | 4,902 | 15.2 | |
1828
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonian | James Buchanan | 10,004 | 17.6 | |
| Jacksonian | Joshua Evans Jr. | 9,932 | 17.5 | |
| Jacksonian | George Gray Leiper | 9,538 | 17.4 | |
| Anti-Jacksonian | Samuel Anderson | 9,023 | 15.9 | |
| Anti-Jacksonian | Townsend Haines | 9,006 | 15.9 | |
| Anti-Jacksonian | William Hiester | 8,957 | 15.8 | |
United States Senate election
1834
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Buchanan | 66 | 49.62 | |
| Anti-Masonic | Amos Ellmaker | 31 | 23.31 | |
| Democratic | James Clarke | 26 | 19.55 | |
| National Republican | Joseph Lawrence | 6 | 4.51 | |
| Democratic | Joel Sutherland | 1 | 0.75 | |
| N/A | Not voting | 3 | 2.26 | |
| Totals | 133 | 100.00% | ||
1836
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Buchanan | 85 | 63.91 | |
| Whig | Thomas M. T. McKennan | 24 | 18.05 | |
| Whig | Charles B. Penrose | 21 | 15.79 | |
| Democratic | Thomas Cunningham | 1 | 0.75 | |
| Democratic | Isaac Leet | 1 | 0.75 | |
| N/A | Not voting | 1 | 0.75 | |
| Totals | 133 | 100.00% | ||
1843
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Buchanan | 74 | 56.06 | |
| Whig | John Banks | 54 | 40.91 | |
| Democratic | Richard Brodhead | 1 | 0.76 | |
| Unknown | John Gibons | 1 | 0.76 | |
| N/A | Not voting | 2 | 1.52 | |
| Totals | 132 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic National Conventions
1844
| Ballots | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9[a] | 9[b] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Van Buren | 146 | 127 | 121 | 111 | 103 | 101 | 99 | 104 | 2 | 0 |
| Lewis Cass | 83 | 94 | 92 | 105 | 107 | 116 | 123 | 114 | 29 | 0 |
| Richard M. Johnson | 24 | 33 | 38 | 32 | 29 | 23 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Buchanan | 4 | 9 | 11 | 17 | 26 | 25 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| John C. Calhoun | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Levi Woodbury | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charles Stewart | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marcus Morton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| James K. Polk | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 231 | 266 |
| Blank | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Notes
1848
| Ballots | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Cass | 125 | 133 | 156 | 179 |
| Levi Woodbury | 53 | 56 | 53 | 38 |
| James Buchanan | 55 | 54 | 40 | 33 |
| John C. Calhoun | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| William Jenkins Worth | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| George M. Dallas | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| William Orlando Butler | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Abstaining | 39 | 39 | 36 | 36 |
1852
| Ballot | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | 21st | 22nd | 23rd | 24th | 25th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Pierce | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lewis Cass | 116 | 118 | 119 | 115 | 114 | 114 | 113 | 113 | 112 | 111 | 101 | 98 | 98 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 96 | 89 | 81 | 60 | 43 | 37 | 33 | 34 |
| James Buchanan | 93 | 95 | 94 | 89 | 89 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 85 | 85 | 92 | 102 | 104 | 103 | 103 | 101 |
| William L. Marcy | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| Stephen A. Douglas | 20 | 23 | 21 | 31 | 34 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 39 | 40 | 50 | 52 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 50 | 56 | 63 | 64 | 64 | 77 | 78 | 80 | 79 |
| William Butler | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 15 | 20 | 23 | 24 |
| Daniel S. Dickinson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Joseph Lane | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Sam Houston | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 |
| John B. Weller | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Henry Dodge | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Linn Boyd | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| William R. King | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charles Ingersoll | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blank | 9 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Ballot | 26th | 27th | 28th | 29th | 30th | 31st | 32nd | 33rd | 34th | 35th | 36th | 37th | 38th | 39th | 40th | 41st | 42nd | 43rd | 44th | 45th | 46th | 47th | 48th | 49th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Pierce | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 44 | 49 | 55 | 283 |
| Lewis Cass | 33 | 32 | 28 | 27 | 33 | 65 | 98 | 123 | 130 | 131 | 122 | 120 | 107 | 106 | 107 | 107 | 101 | 101 | 101 | 96 | 78 | 75 | 72 | 2 |
| James Buchanan | 101 | 98 | 96 | 93 | 91 | 83 | 74 | 72 | 49 | 39 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 0 |
| William Marcy | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 33 | 44 | 58 | 70 | 84 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 91 | 91 | 91 | 97 | 98 | 95 | 89 | 0 |
| Stephen Douglas | 80 | 85 | 88 | 91 | 92 | 92 | 80 | 60 | 53 | 52 | 43 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 2 |
| William Butler | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Daniel S. Dickinson | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Joseph Lane | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sam Houston | 10 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| Linn Boyd | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| William R. King | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charles Ingersoll | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Blank | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 |

1856
| Presidential Ballot | |||||||||||||||||
| Ballot | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Buchanan | 135.5 | 139 | 139.5 | 141.5 | 140 | 155 | 143.5 | 147.5 | 146 | 147.5 | 147.5 | 148 | 150 | 152.5 | 168.5 | 168 | 296 |
| Franklin Pierce | 122.5 | 119.5 | 119 | 119 | 119.5 | 107.5 | 89 | 87 | 87 | 80.5 | 80 | 79 | 77.5 | 75 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephen Douglas | 33 | 31.5 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 58 | 56 | 56 | 62.5 | 63 | 63.5 | 63 | 63 | 118.5 | 122 | 0 |
| Lewis Cass | 5 | 6 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 7 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 6 | 0 |
- 1st Presidential Ballot
- 2nd Presidential Ballot
- 3rd Presidential Ballot
- 4th Presidential Ballot
- 5th Presidential Ballot
- 6th Presidential Ballot
- 7th Presidential Ballot
- 8th Presidential Ballot
- 9th Presidential Ballot
- 10th Presidential Ballot
- 11th Presidential Ballot
- 12th Presidential Ballot
- 13th Presidential Ballot
- 14th Presidential Ballot
- 15th Presidential Ballot
- 16th Presidential Ballot
- 17th and Final Presidential Ballot
1856 United States presidential election

| Presidential candidate | Party | Home state | Popular vote(a) | Electoral vote |
Running mate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | Percentage | Vice-presidential candidate | Home state | Electoral vote | ||||
| James Buchanan Jr. | Democratic | Pennsylvania | 1,836,072 | 45.28% | 174 | John Cabell Breckinridge | Kentucky | 174 |
| John Charles Frémont | Republican | California | 1,342,345 | 33.11% | 114 | William Lewis Dayton | New Jersey | 114 |
| Millard Fillmore | American | New York | 873,053 | 21.53% | 8 | Andrew Jackson Donelson | Tennessee | 8 |
| Other | 3,177 | 0.08% | — | Other | — | |||
| Total | 4,054,647 | 100% | 296 | 296 | ||||
| Needed to win | 149 | 149 | ||||||
Source (Popular Vote): Leip, David. "1856 Presidential Election Results". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved July 27, 2005. Source (Electoral Vote): "Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved July 31, 2005.
(a) The popular vote figures exclude South Carolina where the Electors were chosen by the state legislature rather than by popular vote.